Milàn, J., Lucas, S.G., Lockley, M.G. and Spielmann, J.A., eds., 2010, Crocodyle tracks and traces. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Bulletin 51. 227 PALEOICHNOLOGICAL ASSEMBLAGE ASSOCIATED WITH BAURUSUCHUS SALGADOENSIS REMAINS, A BAURUSUCHIDAE MESOEUCROCODYLIA FROM THE BAURU BASIN, BRAZIL (LATE CRETACEOUS) FELIPE MESQUITA DE VASCONCELLOS AND ISMAR DE SOUZA CARVALHO Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Geociências, Departamento de Geologia, CCMN, Av. Athos da Silveira Ramos, 244, Zip Code 21.949-900, Cidade Universitária - Ilha do Fundão. Rio de Janeiro - RJ. Brazil; e-mail:
[email protected];
[email protected] Abstract—The body fossil and ichnological fossil record associated with Baurusuchus salgadoensis (Baurusuchidae: Mesoeucrocodylia) in General Salgado County (Adamantina Formation, Bauru Basin, Brazil) is diverse and outstanding with regard to preservation and completeness. Invertebrate ichnofossils, fossil eggs, coprolites, gas- troliths and tooth marks on Baurusuchus fossils have been identified. The seasonal climate developed in the Bauru Basin during the Late Cretaceous created stressful conditions forcing animals to endure aridity and food scarcity. The Baurusuchidae underwent long arid seasons, probably resorting to intraspecific fighting, scavenging, self- burrowing mounds and stone ingestion. The integration of sedimentology, ichnology and taphonomic data is useful to reconstruct in detail the ecological scenarios under which Late Cretaceous Crocodyliformes survived. INTRODUCTION useful when dealing with paleoenvironmental and paleoecological recon- During the opening of the Atlantic Ocean, the continental rupture structions since there are direct and indirect evidences of lead to intracratonic volcanic activity and to the origin of a broad inter- paleoenvironmental, taphonomical, paleoecological and paleoethological continental depression in Brazil that is known as the Bauru Basin contexts, normally unavailable with even complete body fossil speci- (Fernandes and Coimbra, 1996).